Parangikai puli kulambu/ Manjal poosanikai kuzhambu/ Yellow Pumpkin Vatha kuzhambu is a yummy South Indian kuzhambu recipe I learnt from my MIL. Whenever my MIL visits my place, I try to learn some new & traditional dish from her. When we were discussing about yellow pumpkin recipes, she suggested me to make this vatha kuzhambu adding pumpkin(Parangikai/Manjal poosanikai in Tamil). She also told me as easy method of doing this kulambu directly in a pressure cooker. I found it interesting and tried it for our lunch on the same day.
I prepared this gravy along with mixed vegetable kootu as side dish. It was a nice combination. Everybody loved its taste. As we are doing in a pressure cooker directly, time taken to cook this gravy is just 15 minutes. So bachelors and working women can The taste of pumpkin gives a natural sweetness to the gravy. So we don’t have to add jaggery to this puli kuzhambu unlike other vatha kuzhambu recipes. You can make this gravy thick or thin as you wish. It tastes good either ways. Adding Homemade sambar powder or Vatha kuzhambu powder gives the best taste. I don’t think you can make this puli kuzhambu with white pumpkin because it absorbs all the tanginess of the gravy. So friends, do try this yummy, easy, no grind parangikai puli kuzhambu and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make Parangikai puli kuzhambu/Pumpkin vatha kuzhambu with step by step pictures.
Temper mustard, dals.Saute the onion,garlic,curry leaves adding salt.
Add tamarind extract, spice powders and pumpkin cubes.
Pressure cook for 2 whistles in low flame.
Remove and boil if needed.Serve hot with rice.
Parangikai Puli Kuzhambu - Step by step photos
Wash and chop pumpkin into big cubes as shown the picture below.Finely chop 2 small onions or quarter big onion and 2 garlic cloves, curry leaves and set aside.
Heat oil in a cooker base.Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds,urad dal, toor dal, cumin seeds, finely chopped onion, garlic and curry leaves. After it turns golden, add the remaining onion and whole garlic cloves. Saute till onion becomes transparent.
Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt.Then add pumpkin cubes.
Pressure cook for 2 whistles in low flame. Remove after the steam is released. Boil the gravy if thin and watery else mix well and serve with rice.
Notes
Adjust the quantity of sambar powder as per the tanginess of tamarind.
For variations, you can add 1tbsp red chilli powder and 1tbsp coriander powder instead of sambar powder.
No need to use jaggery
As we are cooking directly in a pressure cooker, we don't need to add more water.
Chop pumpkin into big cubes else it will get mashed in the gravy.
Tomato rava upma recipe / Rava upma with tomatowith step by step pictures - Tomato rava upma is an yummy, instant, South Indian breakfast recipe with a nice variation from our regular rava upma. Usually I add tomato and vegetables only for rava kichadi but this morning I prepared rava upma with tomato just for a change. Basically I am a big fan of tomato based recipes. Even though I don’t like rava upma, I loved this tomato rava upma a lot. It tastes tangy and spicy as well just like rava kichadi. If you wish you can add green peas in this upma to make it look colorful.
I had some leftover upma for my dinner too. It was good and stayed soft. So you can pack it for lunch box as well. Friends, If you are bored of making rava upma, do try this tomato upma for your breakfast or dinner. It tastes good with coconut chutney as side dish. Try and let me know your feedback . My School moms friends make Karnataka style tomato rava bath. I will ask them and share that recipe later. Now lets see how to make this Tamil nadu style tomato upma recipe with step by step photos.
Heat oil, Temper mustard, dals.Saute the vegetables adding salt.
After tomato becomes mushy, add spice powders.
Mix well and add water. After water comes to boil, add rava.
Mix well, cover cook for 5 minutes.
Add coconut oil / ghee.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with coconut chutney.
Tomato Rava Upma Recipe - Step by step photos
Wash and chop the tomato, onion, chilli.Set aside.Dry roast rava for 7 minutes in medium flame without burning it.Keep in a plate.
Heat oil in a kadai.Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves. After it turns golden, add finely chopped onion and slit green chilli.
After onion becomes transparent, add finely chopped tomato.Saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add salt to cook tomato quickly.
Add red chilli powder or sambar powder and turmeric powder. Mix well till raw smell goes off.Add water and let it roll boil.
Lower the flame completely.Add the roasted rava in a sprinkled way using one hand while stirring constantly with other hand. It helps to avoid lumps.Once all the rava is added, it absorbs the water and becomes thick. Cover it with a lid and cook for 5 minutes in low flame.Mix once in the middle.
Switch off the flame after rava is cooked soft. Add coconut oil or ghee. Garnish with coriander leaves.Mix well and serve hot with coconut chutney!
Notes
Adjust the quantity of chillies as per your taste.
For variations, you can add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder for masala flavor.
Remember to add rava in a sprinkled way to avoid lumps.
No need to add more water. Adding more water makes it like kichadi.
You can use wheat rava instead of semolina and make the same. But add 3 cups of water.
Color of this upma varies as per the chilli powder you use. Use Kashmiri chilli powder for bright red color.
Last year I shared traditional Kerala Varutharacha sambar recipe during Onam. Recently I came across this easy Onam sadya sambar without coconut using a pressure cooker in Anu’s kitchen YouTube Video. Its the simplified version of varutharacha sambar using Kerala sambar powder. I loved the idea and tried it with some modifications to make it even more easy. As I don’t have Kerala sambar powder, I used my homemade sambar powder, red chilli powder and coriander seeds powder. Still it tasted great with a nice flavor.
For Onam sadya, you may need to cook so many recipes for the feast. I am sure this easy sambar recipe will help you save lots of time when compared with varutharacha sambar with spices and coconut.
Ofcourse taste may not be equal to the traditional Kerala sambar still you can give a try. This sambar would be useful especially for bachelors and working women to make a quick & healthy recipe with the goodness of all the vegetables. You don’t need to make any side dish like thoran or mezhukupuratti if you add lots of vegetables.
Friends, do try this easy Kerala style Onam sadya sambar and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make Onam sadya sambar recipe without coconut easily in a pressure cooker with step by step pictures and video !
Do check out my Kerala Ulli Sambar For Idli, Dosa.
Temper mustard, red chilli, spice powders in low flame.
Add to sambar, boil for a minute. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Kerala sambar recipe - Step by step photos
Soak tamarind in 1 cup water and take the extract. Take 1/2 cup of toor dal, small onion and slit green chilli in a cooker base. Add 2 cups of water, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp cooking oil in water.
Wash and chop the vegetables( I used yam, raw banana, carrot, ash gourd, broad beans, cluster beans, beans, lady's finger, drumstick - 5 pieces each). Chop tomato finely. Transfer the vegetables and tomato to a small bowl that fit inside the cooker. Add 1/4 cup water to it.
Place the bowl with vegetables inside the pressure cooker. Close and cook for 2 whistles in low flame.
Open the lid after the steam is released. Dal and vegetables would be cooked soft. Remove the veggies bowl and mash the dal nicely.
Add the cooked vegetables, tamarind extract, sambar powder, salt. Check for thickness and add 1/2 to 1 cup water if needed. Boil well for 5 minutes till nice aroma arises.
Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a kadai. Temper mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to crackle, lower the flame completely. Add sambar powder, red chilli powder, dhania powder, methi powder and hing. Mix quickly without burning. Add to the boiling sambar. Boil for a minute and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice adding ghee. You can also have with idli,dosa if you like.
Notes
Adjust the quantity of chillies as per your taste.
For variations, you can saute finely chopped onion, tomato and add to vegetables inside the cooker.
Sambar powder gives nice aroma to this sambar. To replace it, you should use 1 tbsp dhania powder, 1/4 tsp methi powder and 1.5 tbsp red chilli powder.
You can use any number of vegetables or you can make this sambar only with onions.
Easy Onam Sadya Sambar is ready ! I had with nendran chips !
White sauce pasta recipe with step by step pictures and video. My daughter loves penne pasta in creamy white sauce (bechamel sauce) than red sauce. So I made this Indian vegetarian, creamy garlic flavored white sauce pasta at home for our breakfast yesterday. Basic white sauce can be prepared with 3 major ingredients - butter, all purpose flour and milk. It makes the white sauce thick and rich without cream. Garlic and Oregano is used to give a nice Italian flavor. So never attempt this recipe without these ingredients. Original Italian white sauce pasta calls for using heavy cream instead of milk. But I used very simple and easily available ingredients in this recipe.
I referred the terrace kitchen YouTube video for this recipe. It came out really well. To make white sauce pasta more colorful and healthy, we can add vegetables like sweet corn, carrot, broccoli, mushroom etc. After trying this recipe, I learnt the knack of making white sauce without lumps. Yes, the secret is to add more butter and milk than maida. I have also used cheese slice to make the sauce more creamy. But adding cheese is optional. You can use it if your kids like it. Even though this dish is high in calories, its a tasty indulgence. You can make and enjoy it once in a while. If you want to make a low calorie version, you can use olive oil instead of butter and skip cheese.
Lets see how to make penne pasta in white sauce with step by step pictures and video.
Recently I got a herb grinder from FLINTSTOP online. You can find many useful and technologically advanced cool gadgets for the entire house. They also provide Corporate Gifting for different multinationals along with their company logo and customization as per the requirements. I used this herb grinder for garnishing pasta with oregano and dried basil. I loved this gadget. I am planning to use it in my South Indian cooking as well. You can find the picture of the herb grinder below.
In a wide bowl, boil 6 cups of water. Add cooking oil and salt. Chop the garlic and capsicum finely.
When the water starts to roll boil, simmer the flame and add the penne pasta. Stir well else it may stick to the bottom of bowl. Boil for 10 minutes stirring now and then. Cook al dente. Cover the bowl partially and cook for last 5 minutes. I do this to cook the pasta soft. Take one, break it and check for doneness.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander, set aside. Wash with cold water and drain the water completely.
Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadai and saute the finely chopped garlic till golden. Add capsicum, frozen sweet corn and saute for a minute. It should remain crunchy in taste. Remove in a plate.
In the same kadai, heat 3 tbsp butter. Add 2 tbsp maida and roast till its raw smell goes off. Lower the flame. Add milk in one hand while stirring with a whisk in other hand. This helps to avoid lump formation. So keep stirring with a whisk while you add the milk. Mix till there are no lumps.
Add sauteed vegetables, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and some salt. Let the sauce boil till thick. Lastly add the cooked pasta, mix well. Tear the cheese slice into small pieces. Add to the boiling sauce. Mix till it melts. Garnish with oregano, basil and other spices if you like. Remove and serve hot.
Notes
Adding oil in the water helps to cook the pasta non-sticky.
I like my pasta to be soft. So I cover & cook it for 5 minutes. But usually people won't do that.
Adding cheese is optional. But it makes the white sauce more creamy.
You can replace cheese slice with cheese cubes or grated cheese. Mozzarella or even cheddar cheese is fine.
Try this easy, yummy kids friendly white sauce pasta recipe at home and enjoy !
Easy cheese garlic bread recipe on tawa with step by step photo and video. This instant garlic bread recipe without oven was in my try list for years. Sendhil is a big fan of Pizza hut and Dominos style garlic bread. So I wanted to try garlic bread from scratch at home. But before that, I thought of trying this easy, homemade garlic bread recipe using regular white bread. I watched few YouTube video recipes and tried this easy and instant cheese garlic toast for our Sunday breakfast. I tried on dosa tawa as it would be quick to make. It can be served as breakfast, dinner or for evening snacks after the kids come back from school.
Actually I tried a toast in microwave as well. But it was slightly chewy in taste. But the ones I made in the pan was really great. The corners were crispy and middle portion was soft with a nice flavor of garlic, butter and cheese. If you are calorie conscious, you can skip the cheese and make it as plain garlic bread. If you wish, you can bake this in convection oven. As you all know, garlic bread tastes the best only when served hot. So it doesn’t suit for lunch box. You can make this for kids breakfast, dinner or evening snacks. Ok, lets see how to make homemade cheese garlic bread without oven with step by step photos and video.
Grated cheese - 1 cup (I used Amul Mozarella cheese)
Oregano + Basil seasoning - to sprinkle
Butter or olive oil - to grease
How to make garlic bread without oven
Melt 1/4 cup soft butter in a bowl.
Add crushed or grated garlic, salt and chilli flakes to it.
Mix well and apply on one side of bread.
Heat a dosa pan with butter.Cook the garlic spreaded side till golden brown.
Flip the bread and grate cheese on top.
Cover and cook till cheese melts.
Remove, sprinkle seasoning and serve hot!
Cheese Garlic bread recipe on Tawa - Step by step photo
In a wide bowl, take 1/4 cup of soft butter. Melt in microwave or stove top.
To the melted butter, add crushed or grated garlic cloves. I used my garlic press and crushed it nicely.
Add salt, red chilli flakes and mix well. Apply this garlic spread on one side of the bread slice.
Heat a dosa pan and drop the garlic spread side facing down. Cook till golden in low to medium flame. Apply melted butter or olive oil on the other side.
Flip the bread slice. Keep the flame very low. Grate cheese on the top.Cover and cook in low to medium flame till cheese melts and sides become crispy. Remove, sprinkle oregano,basil seasoning and serve hot.
Notes
For low calorie version, you can skip cheese and use olive oil instead of butter.
Add more cheese if making for kids.
You can bake in convection oven at 180c for 12 to 15 minutes.
You can also add pepper powder in addition to chilli flakes.
Paniyaram recipe with leftover idli, dosa batter is my most favorite South Indian breakfast and dinner recipes. I can have it 24x7. My mom calls it as idli dosa maavu paniyaram. In Tamil nadu, people make kuzhi paniyaram at least once in a week. Not only in Tamil nadu, this paniyaram recipe is very popular in Karnataka and Andhra as well.
In Kannada, it is called as Paddu or Guliyappa. In Telugu, it is Gunta ponganalu. In Kerala, it is kuzhi appam in malayalam. There may be slight variations in the paniyaram batter recipe but the taste and preparation is almost the same. Generally people say kara chutney ie. Red chutney is the best side dish for paniyaram but I love my mom’s watery coconut-fried gram dal chutney( Pottukadalai chutney)that tastes like road side hotel chutney. You can find the same in the pictures.
Before marriage, my mom reserves some leftover sour dosa batter and make ghee paniyaram especially for me. Yes, Kuzhi paniyaram tastes the best when prepared with sour dosa batter more than fresh idli,dosa batter. It would be crispy outside and soft inside. The flavor of ghee and smell of sour batter takes this dish to next level.
Sometimes my mom adds a pinch of cooking soda if the batter is too sour. I love to have this paniyaram as evening snack too. So my amma makes it after I come from college. After marriage, I follow my mom and make ghee paniyaram for Raksha and rarely for myself and Sendhil.
Long back, I made a post on Paniyaram varieties in which I had shared my MIL’s style sweet paniyaram, Kara paniyaram and masala paniyaram recipes. At that time, many readers asked me whether it can be prepared without paniyaram pan. I don’t think so. Deep frying in oil is the only alternative. But the shape and texture will change. Moreover it absorbs more oil and make the dish high in calories.
If you want to taste this delicious paniyaram in a healthy way with low calorie, you need to buy a non-stick paniyaram pan. Just a few drops of oil or ghee would be enough to make this yummy delicacy.
In South India, you can find this pan commonly in all the vessel shops. If you are in abroad, you can buy it online as well. Ok, lets see how to make this most popular Paniyaram recipe with step by step photo.
Paniyaram recipe / Kuzhi paniyaram recipe with idli, dosa batter
How to make Kuzhi paniyaram recipe using leftover idli, dosa batter
Take the leftover dosa batter in a wide bowl. Add little water, say 1/4 cup if the batter is too thick.
Heat oil in a kadai.Temper mustard, urad dal, chana dal and hing. After dals turn golden, saute the finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves and little salt. Saute till onion becomes transparent.
Add to the dosa batter. Mix well. Paniyaram batter is ready. Check for taste, add salt only if needed. If the batter is too sour, you can add a pinch of cooking soda. Mix well and rest the batter for 10 minutes.
Heat paniyaram pan adding 1 tsp oil or ghee in each hole. Pour the batter and keep the flame medium high. Cover the pan and cook for sometime.
Use a stick like pointed tool or spoon to flip the paniyaram. Cook the other side. Remove in a plate. Serve with your favorite chutney !
Notes
To make it more healthy, you can add grated carrot, cooked peas to the paniyaram batter.
You can add finely chopped chilli to make the paniyaram taste spicy.
Adjust the flame from medium to high to cook the paniyaram with golden tint on top as shown in the picture.
Adding coriander leaves is optional but it adds a nice flavor.
Add ghee instead of oil if you are making for kids. I make this way and pack for Raksha's lunch box
I prepared this gravy along with mixed vegetable kootu as side dish. It was a nice combination. Everybody loved its taste. As we are doing in a pressure cooker directly, time taken to cook this gravy is just 15 minutes. So bachelors and working women can The taste of pumpkin gives a natural sweetness to the gravy. So we don’t have to add jaggery to this puli kuzhambu unlike other vatha kuzhambu recipes. You can make this gravy thick or thin as you wish. It tastes good either ways. Adding Homemade sambar powder or Vatha kuzhambu powder gives the best taste. I don’t think you can make this puli kuzhambu with white pumpkin because it absorbs all the tanginess of the gravy. So friends, do try this yummy, easy, no grind parangikai puli kuzhambu and share your feedback with me. Lets see how to make Parangikai puli kuzhambu/Pumpkin vatha kuzhambu with step by step pictures. 
